


Star Wars: Balance of the Force

by ReyAndor19



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ajan Kloss, Armitage Hux Lives, Ben Solo Lives, Don’t ask me how, F/M, Force-Sensitive Arashell Sar, Gen, Millicent the cat - Freeform, Movie: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phasma Lives, Poe Dameron Is A Mess, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, She’s just alive, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It, caf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25138195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReyAndor19/pseuds/ReyAndor19
Summary: A year after the Battle of Crait, the fight between the First Order and the Resistance rages on. Supreme Leader Kylo Ren is hunting down force users and searching for an ancient Sith artifact that could lead the First Order to victory. Though not every soldier may be as loyal as they seem... Meanwhile, the Resistance’s new leader, Poe Dameron, is attempting to adjust to his new role and lead the rebels to victory. Rey is working to learn from the mistakes of the Jedi before her, and training force-sensitive Temiri Blagg. And former stormtrooper Finn is working on a plan that could finish off the First Order for good.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright. I’m attempting to rewrite TROS. Wish me luck?  
> No real update schedule for this yet. Umm...yea. Just changing some of the things I didn’t like about TROS. This is rated T, but all the content is basically G, I only rated it T because well, it’s Star Wars.

“You’re doing that thing again.” Rey shook her head to clear away her thoughts and turned.

“What?”

“That thing. Where you stop talking in the middle of your sentence.”

“Sorry. Just need more rest. You should get some too, it’s getting late.” Already, the sun was setting, and the porgs that had evacuated the Falcon and made Ajan Kloss their home were huddling in their nests. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Temiri.”

“Tomorrow,” Temiri said with a solemn nod. He headed back to the base, leaving Rey alone in the jungle. She stood by herself for a few minutes, breathing in the clean air and enjoying the color and life of the place. Even after a year, the plants still awed her.

A small figure peeked out from behind a bush.

“Are you Rey?” She turned to find a small, red-haired girl. Temiri’s friend...what was her name?

“Yes. What’s your name?”

“A-Arashell Sar.” She stepped forward timidly, as if afraid to be shouted at.

“Make yourself at home,” Rey offered, sitting down on a log. Arashell plopped down next to her. “Is something wrong?” The girl seemed like she was about to jump out of her own skin.

Arashell held out her shaking hands and closed her eyes. Tiny bolts of blue electricity sparked from her fingertips.  _Force lightning_ , Rey realized. She’d read about it in Luke’s journals.  _ One of the most famous users of the weapon was...Emperor Palpatine. _

She took Arashell’s hands gently, wincing slightly as a shock jolted up her arms.

“Can you help me?” Arashell asked quietly.

“Of course.”

*****************************************************************************************

Poe stared at the holo, not really seeing the details it displayed. He sighed- it was already night. He couldn’t concentrate any more.

“I don’t know what you want me to do, Leia,” he confessed. Now that he was alone, he could be honest. “I’m not fit for leading. Flying, yes. Running a rebellion? Not so much.”

“I miss her.” Poe looked up, startled. A boy stood beside him.  _ Oniho. One of the kids from Canto Bight, those kids that Rose rescued. _

“Yeah, I miss her too,” Poe admitted. “Uh...your parents ever teach you anything about leadership?”

Oniho’s expression darkened. “My parents are dead. They died when I was little.”

“Sorry...my mother did too. I never really got over it. After I met Leia, she was like a second mother to me. I just...I don’t know what to do, Oniho.”

“You’re already a really good leader. Everyone likes you. They say that you’re a lot like Leia.”

“They really say that?”

“Yeah, when they’re eating and working all over the base.”

Poe smiled. “Thanks Oniho. I really needed to hear that.”

Oniho just shrugged. “I just said what I heard.”

*****************************************************************************************

“Lieutenant Kyrell!”

“Yes, sir?”

“Oh, no need for all that formality. You know me, I know you.”

“I know that, but the First Order values formality and, well,  _ order _ . So technically I’m required to call you sir, sir.”

“Alright, alright. You’ve made your point Lieutenant.”

“Is there anything you need?”

“No, I just had some news for you.”

“Good news or bad news?”

“Good news. Very good news. They’re considering promoting you soon.”

_ “ What? _ _”_ Jannah’s jaw dropped. “Promoting? Me?”

“Yes, you,” her commander said with a smile. “Lieutenant Commander Jannah Ree-Kyrell. An impressive title if you ask me.”

Jannah suppressed a grin. “Wow. Wow! Thank you for letting me know, just...wow.”

“Congratulations, Jannah. Your father would be proud.”

Thane Kyrell. “I try, sir.”

“You do very well,” he said with a proud smile. Jannah’s eyes welled with tears. 

_ Lieutenant Commander Jannah Ree-Kyrell. Sounds perfect. _

*****************************************************************************************

Finn stared at the pile of papers in front of him.

“This could work. This could actually work!” It had taken him weeks to perfect the idea. Now he thought he’d finally found the right way.

“Wait a minute...no, there’s no way to hack into that system without being detected by the First Order.” Another dead end.

Maybe this idea truly was pointless and impossible.

He had hit so many dead ends by now, it was almost laughable.

“Excuse me? Um...is this yours?” He turned to find a woman holding a paper in her hands. She squinted to read the handwriting. “Something about creating fake stormtrooper identities?” Her eyes widened. “Oh force. You’re Finn. We’re you thinking about...” her voice dropped to a whisper. “Going _ back  _ to the First Order?”

“No, of course not!” She shot him a suspicious look, pulling the paper away when he grabbed for it.

“Sure. And you weren’t running away from the Resistance after Starkiller.”

He winced. “This is different.”

“I bet it is. Explain.” She plopped down beside him on the bench.

“I had this idea. Poe’s been trying to increase our numbers. Right now, the First Order outnumbers us...I don’t know, but it’s over 20 to 1. He’s trying to get people to join, but that doesn’t change the numbers of the First Order. Just the Resistance.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Well I thought, maybe instead of just increasing the rebel numbers...we could increase the rebels numbers _and_ decrease the First Order’s numbers.”

“Intriguing. How would you do this?”

Now came the crazy part that he still hadn’t figured out how to make possible. “By disguising as a stormtrooper and infiltrating the First Order. Once I was in, I’d work to recruit the stormtroopers- especially ones who always get stuck with janitor duty and kitchen cleanup instead of being out there fighting -and get them to abandon the First Order. Increasing our ranks while decreasing theirs.”

“It’s a pretty crazy idea,” the woman admitted. “But I like it.”

“Thanks. Not to be rude, but...Who are you?”

She laughed. “Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix. Don’t be embarrassed, no one knows who I am.” She shrugged. “So are you going to show this plan to the higher-ups? It could work.”

“No. It’s impossible. See, to create a fake trooper identity, you’d have to have someone  _ inside  _ the First Order helping us already. Someone to vouch for us. And not a stormtrooper, or some other typical soldier. We’d need a general, or someone  _ really _ important.”

Kaydel thought for a moment, a slow smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I think I know what we could do about that.”


	2. Chapter 2

When Rose had joined the Resistance, she’d never expected to call it boring.

And most of the time it wasn’t boring! She loved fighting for a cause she believed in with so many others, loved the sights and sounds of the base, loved everything about fighting for the Resistance.

But the waiting around part...that part wasn’t so fun.

She’d just finished yet another meeting with Poe and the other higher-ups. As head mechanic, she was required to attend these strategy sessions, to both report on how the mechanics were doing and to help think of a plan to fight the First Order.

So far, she felt useless. Everything was working at the base, so there was no need for the mechanics. And since she hadn’t been away from the base since they’d arrived at Ajan Kloss...Rose was running out of things to do. She wanted to help with the planning sessions, but a mechanic didn’t have the knowledge to set intricate traps and form stealthy and effective plans. She wanted to help the other mechanics, but there was nothing to fix.

_ We don’t have the weapons to defeat the First Order_, one of the older fighters had said. Evaan Verlaine, that had been her name.  _ We can’t finish them off in a fight. No, we have to destroy them from the inside . _

Her words replayed in Rose’s mind, over and over. Why wouldn’t they stop? It was getting slightly annoying.

Then she realized how she could help Poe and the Resistance.

Defeat them from the inside, Evaan had said.

If Rose could earn the trust of a First Order member...

...maybe the Resistance could gain an important spy, valuable information, and possible access to more weapons and supplies.

She quickly searched the Resistance’s databanks about former members of the Rebel Alliance who now fought for the First Order. There was only one result:

Thane Kyrell

DECEASED

Family:

Oris Kyrell, father- DECEASED

Ganaire Kyrell, mother- DECEASED

Dalven Kyrell, brother- LIVING, UNKNOWN

Ciena Ree-Kyrell, spouse- LIVING, FIRST ORDER

Jannah Ree-Kyrell, daughter- LIVING, FIRST ORDER

There was a link to a news article below this information. Rose clicked on it and found an old story. 

“Rebel Thane Kyrell Captures Imperial Ciena Ree,” Rose read. The picture below the title showed a man and a woman- the woman’s wrists were secured by binders. Despite the article being about Thane capturing Ciena, he looked just as miserable as she did.  _Huh_.

“Thane was a rebel...but his only living family members were First Order?”

But if he’d captured her, how had Ciena escaped custody? Would Ciena be sympathetic to the Resistance? Or had she killed Thane because he was Resistance?

There were no other documents mentioning Thane Kyrell, Ciena Ree, or their daughter Jannah.

“Wait...their daughter Jannah!” If she’d had a parent in the Rebel Alliance...maybe she could be convinced to spy for the Resistance. The daughter of an Imperial would surely have a higher rank- which meant important intel and access to better weapons, food, medicines... Rose considered her options.

They needed more recruits.

They needed more supplies.

She had nothing left to lose.

*****************************************************************************************

Armitage Hux was done.

He was done following orders from Kylo Ren.

He was done working with idiots like the Knights Of Ren.

And most of all, he was done with the Force. The Jedi. The Sith. Everything else in between. He was  _done_.

He told all of this to his cat the second he was finally alone in his quarters. Millicent stared at him with that all-knowing cat wisdom, then walked away. A minute later, she reappeared, carrying a feebly sparking mouse droid in her mouth. She dumped it in his lap and purred.

“Again, Millie?” He groaned, trying to tell if the droid was fixable. “Alright, I’ll report to the Resistance. Happy?”

Millicent purred again and stalked off, probably to find another mouse droid to demolish.

“This is Millicent, reporting from the First Order,” Hux said in a flat, clear voice. “I have important intel for you. The First Order is now searching for an ancient Sith artifact. And it can...well, it does exactly what you’d expect an ancient Sith artifact to do. Fully charged, it could level even the largest of cities. Fortunately, for it to be fully charged, you need force lightning, which no one in the First Order knows how to use. But it’s still extremely destructive and dangerous. If the Knights of Ren get their hands on it...well, you get the idea. The Supreme Leader hasn’t shared any details about where to find it yet, but I’m sure he will soon. The other generals will be curious. No one suspects that I work for the First Order. No new updates on military movements. Millicent out.”

He sat back and sighed. Would this war ever end? He hoped so.

And despite being a First Order general, he hoped that the Resistance would emerge victorious.

*****************************************************************************************

Zorii Bliss had been to many planets. She’d seen many species.She’d met members of many organizations.

But when she arrived at the Resistance base on Ajan Kloss, it was as if she’d never been to a planet other than her homeworld. It was as if she’d only lived with humans her whole life. It was as if this was the first organization she’d heard of (other than the evil First Order, of course). It was all brand new, her very first time experiencing all of it.

The Resistance was like a busy beehive. Everyone had a different job to do, and creatures hurried in every direction, trying to get it done.

Zorii closed her eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying Ajan Kloss’ climate and  _life_. The forests around her and warm air were very different from Kijimi’s frigid air and tall, snowy mountains.

“Zorii!” She opened her eyes. General Poe Dameron was running towards her, waving. “You’re Zorii, right? The spice runner from Kijimi?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Great. I need you to come with me.” He began pushing through the crowds, and she followed. She instinctively kept her head down, eyes taking in every being she passed, determining if they would be a threat to her or not.

_You don’t have to do that any more_ , she reminded herself.  _You’re with the Resistance now. These people are fighting alongside you, not against you._

Still, bad habits died hard.

“So is this the grand tour?” She asked, half teasing.

“I wish we had time for that. But this is actually about your first mission.”

”My- wait, what?” She’d expected to have at least a day to learn the ropes. Figure out what her job would be. Leading the Spice Runners of Kijimi and working as a bounty had taught her to always be on her toes- she should’ve seen this one coming.

“We’ve received a message from a First Order spy. That’s all I can tell you right now, since we’re out in the open. Just another quick turn...” Poe keyed in a code and a metal door slid open. “This is the Command Center. Basically, it’s where the higher-ups meet to discuss battle plans. Don’t be intimidated by the word higher-ups, it’s usually a mess in here.”

Zorii stepped inside and followed him to a large table in the middle of the room. He tapped another code into the table, and a recording began to play. 

She listened in horror as the recording described a Sith artifact that could level entire cities. At least no one knew how to charge it to its full power. When the recording finished, Poe turned to her, smiling grimly. “While it’s not as powerful as Starkiller...who knows what the First Order scientists will do with it?”

“They’ll make it worse.”  


”Exactly. Your mission is to use your contacts in the crime world to find this artifact before the First Order does.”

“And then?”

“We destroy the artifact. It’s too destructive to let anyone have- even those with good intentions.” He sighed. “You have a ship, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You don’t need to do that. We’re all friends here. Oh, and one more thing about your mission. Can your ship carry more than one person?”

“It might be a little cramped, but two of us could fit. Why?”

“You’re going to be working with General Armitage Hux.”

*****************************************************************************************

Finally.

After months of searching.

After months of sleepless nights spent poring over ancient Sith books, trying to pull together some semblance of a map.

He’d finally put together a map. He’d finally found a way to the ancient Sith artifact, rumored to be able to destroy entire cities.

But...to truly access the artifact’s powers, you needed force lightning.

Kylo Ren didn’t know how to summon force lightning.

There was no force-sensitive in the First Order who could either.

And to make matters worse, the force bond always seemed to connect him with the scavenger when he was trying to research the secrets of force lightning, and those who had been able to harness it.

Maybe the force was trying to tell him something.

Could she be hiding a secret?

Could the force bond be the key to recovering the artifact?

Could this be how the First Order  _finally_ defeated the Resistance and restored order?


	3. Chapter 3

Rey’s plate was so full, she didn’t have time to help Arashell for an entire week. 

And speaking of plates, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten in the mess hall. Between training Temiri, attending Resistance meetings, and painstakingly translating the Jedi texts and reading Luke’s notes, she hardly had a moment of free time.  And of course there was that annoying force bond that connected her to Kylo Ren at the worst times.  Not much time for eating  _ or  _ sleeping.

“Rey!” She turned to find Poe waving her over.

“Poe. I’m really sorry I missed the meeting, I was out training with Temiri and we lost track of time-“

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. We’re all busy these days. Want to go grab a cup of caf?”

“Caf? Uh...sure.” She had guard duty in two hours anyway. Another sleepless night then. “You’ve got news, don’t you? I haven’t seen you this happy since...”  _since before we lost Leia_.  Even thinking about it hurt. “In a long time.”

“Nothing happened. I’m not allowed to be happy?”

“You’re allowed to be happy, but you haven’t been lately.”

“I just chatted with someone, and they gave me some good ideas. Happy?”

“Yes. Is that  _ someone _ Finn?”

“Stop it. And no, it’s not.”

“No need to get hostile. I’m just glad you’re not moping around any more.”

“I was never moping around! But anyway, while we’re talking, I had a question for you.”

“Yeah?”

“So you’ve been spending all that time translating Luke’s notes, right?”

“Yes, but if you’re here to ask how it’s going, you’re going to be disappointed. Master Skywalker’s notes- and the Jedi texts -are...well, confusing would be an understatement.”

“Good thing that’s not what I’m asking about then. I was wondering if Luke ever wrote any notes about dark-side planets.”

“Dark-side planets? Like a Sith version of the Jedi Temple? Or a planet with a history of the dark side, like Mustafar?”

“The second one. Though the first could come in handy.”

“He did mention...a few. But Poe, if you’re suggesting we go anywhere near them, that’s a terrible idea. They’re dangerous, unpredictable-“

“I get that. They’re kriffing  _ dark-side _ planets. But we’re sending a group out on an important mission, and they need a list of possible places to start.”

“Poe, I don’t think you understand how tempting the dark side can be!”

“Maybe I don’t. But this mission is  _ everything _ to the Resistance. So we need those lists.” His voice was stern and the earlier friendliness was gone. “That’s an order, Rey.”

She sighed. “I’ll get them to you as soon as possible.”

**********************************************************************************

Jannah sighed and sat back, reading over her notes one last time. Perfect. No grammar mistakes, every fact was one-hundred percent true, no errors anywhere. She submitted the report and finally let herself relax. Even the strictest First Order soldiers needed to take five. Maybe she could catch up on the galaxy’s news, or check out one of those cute porg videos her coworkers were always raving about...

Her screen turned completely white before a line of text began typing itself across the screen.

_ You’re Jannah Ree-Kyrell, correct? _

Jannah stared at the screen for a minute. Then two. Then five.

_ You can respond by typing. I’m not able to track your location any more than you are mine. _

Jannahconsidered her options before choosing the stupidest one, and typing a response.

_ I might be Jannah Ree-Kyrell. Who’s asking? _

_ I can’t tell you my real name. You can call me Paige. _

Paige. A common name that belonged to thousands of beings in the galaxy.  _ Whoever this person is, they’re smart. Not many people could hack into a First Order computer... _

_ Alright Paige. Are you a girl or a boy? Just so I don’t call you the opposite gender accidentally . _

_ I’m a girl. As are you. _

_ I’m pretty sure I know my own gender, thanks. _

_ Just making sure my sources were correct. _

_ Why are you talking to me? _

_...Did you know your father? _

***************************************************************************************

Zorii Bliss stared at the screen with a sour expression, half hoping the name beside hers would change.

Just her luck. General kriffing  _ Hux _ was going to be her partner for her first mission ever.

How was she even supposed to find this weapon anyway?

Shuffling through the few papers Poe had been able to give her regarding the mission, she tried to find the best way to do this. All of them were copies from some Jedi’s (was that even the plural of Jedi?) notes. And most of them were dead ends.

She considered the last planet on the list, one that the Jedi had never crossed off.

“Mustafar. Climate: Hot. Terrain: Mostly lava. The dark side is strong on this planet, and an important part of its history.” She sighed. “Well, that sounds just great.”

Hopefully, Hux would fall into a volcano or something.

Hey, why was she the one doing all the work for this mission? She’d spent two days researching each and every planet on the list, even the ones that had been crossed off. Maybe Hux would have some ideas.

She clicked on the link Poe had included in the mission file that would let her contact Hux without anyone tracking the message back to the Resistance. It worked the same way for Hux, he could send her a message without either army knowing it was from him.

“ _ Armitage Hux, _

_ Hello! It’s your cousin, Kiji. I was looking for a new planet to visit, and since you work for the valiant First Order, I know you get to travel all over the galaxy, so I thought maybe you’d have some recommendations? I’m currently researching planets with a history of being used by dark-siders (though I still can’t understand why they’re called dark-siders- their actions and war stances are much more honest and good than the Jedi!). Do you know of any that I could learn more about? Long live the First Order. _

_-Kiji (Kijimi) Hux_ ”

Zorii read over her letter. Too obvious? Possibly. But if the FO caught Hux, it meant she wouldn’t have to deal with him. She had always worked best alone, anyway. She sent him the message, and turned back to the list.

***************************************************************************************

Kaydel Ko Connix had been searching for years, but she still hadn’t found her Purpose. Her friend Tallie Lintra believed that everyone had a Purpose in life. That was before Tallie had been blown up by a TIE fighter before she even had a chance to leave the hangar.

_ “Everyone has a Purpose,” Tallie said in a matter-of-fact voice. “But some people never find their true Purpose or don’t fulfill their destiny.” _

_“So a Purpose is just a way of saying destiny?” Kaydel had asked._

_ “No, they’re different. Your destiny is what you’re going to do with your entire life. Maybe you’re destined to go to the mess hall and drop your tray. But that’s not your Purpose. Your Purpose is something...bigger, I guess. Like...maybe mine is...I don’t know, to blow up a Dreadnought right before it obliterates the entire fleet.” _

_ “Is that really yours?” _

_ “Maybe. I guess so far my Purpose is fighting for the Resistance. Working to defeat the evil First Order. I don’t know yet.” _

_ “Same.” _

_ “We’ll find ours, one day. I know it. The Force will guide us.” _

Tallie had believed in the Force too. She was the one who told Kaydel all the old legends of the Jedi like Luke Skywalker, and the Sith like Darth Vader.

“You’re thinking hard.” Kaydel snapped out of the memory. Finn watched her cautiously, as if he still expected her to turn him in for desertion.

“Yeah.”

“What about?”

”My friend. Tallie Lintra.”

“She’s with the Resistance?”

“She was. She was a pilot.”

“She quit?”

“She was killed.”

Finn didn’t tell her he was sorry. He didn’t look at her with pity. And she was glad. She hated when people did that. Saying sorry wouldn’t bring Tallie back. All the pity in the galaxy couldn’t make it better. The people who’d said sorry, they didn’t know Tallie like Kaydel had. “She flew an A-wing. It was this clunky old thing that had been in more crashes than we could count. But when she was piloting it, it was like...It was like she was Han Solo in the Millenium Falcon. Except she didn’t need this legendary ship, she could fly anything well.”

Finn nodded. “War takes too many good people. That’s why I made this plan.”

“I know. I just hope it works...”


End file.
